For Cisco Insider Wouter Hindriks, curiosity and fervour for drawback fixing are keys to success.

Cisco’s advocacy neighborhood, Cisco Insider Advocates, brings our prospects collectively and supplies a manner for them to make highly effective connections, develop their skilled and private networks, and study from prime consultants of their subject. One in all our objectives with our advocacy neighborhood is to deepen {our relationships} with our prospects. Our Q&A collection permits us to shine a highlight on a few of our most passionate advocates as we study extra about their tales and backgrounds.

At present, we’ve one of many friendliest faces locally becoming a member of us for a chat. I’m excited to welcome Wouter Hindriks from Avit Group BV.

Welcome, Wouter! It’s so nice to speak with you as we speak! Let’s kick issues off by studying just a little bit about who you’re.

I’m a 45-year-old safety architect residing and dealing within the Netherlands. I’m married to Naomi, and we’ve two youngsters, ages 12 and 16.

The place did you start your profession in IT? And what skilled choice or alternative introduced you to your present place?

I began working part-time on an web assist desk when many individuals have been getting on-line for the primary time with dial-up web entry. I had a number of jobs and roles after that and labored in several nations earlier than accepting my present place at Avit Group, a community integrator and managed providers supplier.

The risk panorama retains shifting, with new unhealthy actors, exploits, and assaults on the horizon. As defenders, we have to maintain altering with it. Avit Group protects and screens our prospects’ environments for threats and incorporates incidents earlier than they result in a disruption. In my position as a safety architect, I design our service choices to make sure we ship the most recent and best services to maintain customers and information safe throughout the globe.

I spend time with prospects, colleagues, and Cisco specialists to find out about evolving challenges and confirmed options to assist enhance our choices. As well as, via the Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, I get common updates from Cisco Talos, Cisco’s risk intelligence analysis group, in addition to insights from my business friends and different safety practitioners worldwide.

What an unbelievable journey you’ve been on, Wouter. How has partnering with Cisco helped you in your position?

Cisco has performed an vital position in my profession because the starting; I obtained a Cisco CCNA certification, which actually helped my profession early on. Working at a telco, you’ll encounter Cisco within the edge and core networks, after which, you’ll be happy to see Cisco options in your information middle, website networks, or safety setup. The standard of documentation and buyer help makes Cisco reliable—each paperwork and TAC help have saved my day (and evening) quite a few occasions!

It’s nice to listen to how Cisco’s options have been instrumental all through your profession! Let’s transfer on to our buyer advocacy neighborhood. How would you describe Cisco Insider Advocates to those that aren’t aware of it?

Cisco Insider Advocates is a worldwide neighborhood for expertise fans to attach with each other. New data, fascinating articles about Cisco’s merchandise and applied sciences, and posts from different members are all the time accessible. Collaborating in actions on this neighborhood additionally offers you factors to change for cool rewards too.

The rewards are undoubtedly an ideal incentive! You’re considered one of our neighborhood’s “Rockstars” and are part of the “Safety Heroes.” What made you wish to be part of, and the way has being part of this neighborhood impacted you each professionally and personally?

I joined the neighborhood at Cisco Reside Berlin in 2017 and was instantly impressed by the sheer scale and number of actions accessible. On the occasion, I used to be capable of benefit from my go to through the use of the Cisco Insider App, which supplied data on the accessible areas and pushed me to discover totally different components of Cisco Reside.

Then, after the Cisco Reside occasion, I stored coming again to the neighborhood for the data, conversations, and invaluable alternatives. Being a member of this neighborhood has allowed me to assist others and shortly join with different consultants in numerous ICT fields. As a Rockstar, I take pleasure in unique challenges, rewards, and occasions. By collaborating with neighborhood managers and taking part in actions, I’ve contributed to weblog posts, movies, and even spoken at Cisco Reside and safety podcasts. This enhanced my writing and talking talents and strengthened my private model, which helped me stand out to colleagues, prospects, and potential employers.

We’d love to listen to about your current expertise at Cisco Reside 2024 Amsterdam. We perceive that you simply attended together with your daughter this yr too. How was it sharing Cisco Reside along with her? On a scale of 1-5 (5 being the best), how would you charge your general expertise this yr in comparison with earlier conferences?

Residing simply 20 minutes from the venue, Cisco Reside Amsterdam felt like a house sport. It was great exhibiting my daughter round and introducing her to everybody I’ve met over time. I’d charge my expertise a 4.5 this yr as I had an Explorer move, which restricted entry to technical breakout periods. Nonetheless, the occasion was well-organized with good meals, many cubicles, and educated people prepared to help. Interacting with Cisco’s senior management this time was actually insightful; I used to be capable of have transient conversations with Oliver Tuszik and Jeetu Patel, which enhanced my understanding of Cisco’s imaginative and prescient and allowed me to share my very own concepts and challenges.

By Cisco Insider Advocates, I used to be additionally capable of meet with the Cisco U crew to share my ideas on a person’s coaching and academic wants general and supply suggestions on Cisco’s present certifications.

Since 2017, I’ve attended Cisco Reside in Berlin, Madrid, Las Vegas, Orlando, and Amsterdam. It’s all the time a pleasure to reconnect with pals and meet new individuals. Whereas the Cisco Insider Advocate actions add pleasure to those occasions, the devoted lounge for Insiders additionally supplies a soothing retreat through the busy occasion, and assembly neighborhood members and managers in particular person is all the time a deal with!

Glad to listen to you loved Cisco Reside this yr, Wouter! As you talked about, we had tons of thrilling actions deliberate within the Cisco Insider sales space and considered one of them was the chance to have a dialog with David Bombal, a British YouTuber and tech influencer. How was your interplay with him, and what subjects did you focus on?

It was a delight to have an interview with David Bombal. We spoke about what it takes to get forward in IT and what has helped me turn out to be a safety architect. I emphasised the significance about staying curious, embracing challenges, and studying from each expertise whereas actively taking part locally round you to facilitate progress and studying.

I’m completely satisfied for you, Wouter. It sounds such as you had a memorable expertise at Cisco Reside this yr. We’re virtually on the finish of our interview, and we’d love to complete with three issues you possibly can’t dwell with out.

Moreover the apparent reply: Spouse and kids? It might be:

1. New issues to unravel
2. New issues to construct
3. New individuals to satisfy

It’s been a pleasure to speak with you, Wouter. Thanks once more for becoming a member of us!

Learn extra advocate interviews.

You would possibly take pleasure in this interview with Cisco Insider Tim Harmon.

Be part of us!

For our prospects who’ve already joined our Cisco Insider Advocates neighborhood, say hiya to Tim if you happen to haven’t met but. And if you happen to’re a Cisco buyer however aren’t a neighborhood member, think about becoming a member of. You’ll be capable to:

• Join with friends in a gamified, on-line neighborhood.
• Have a chance to satisfy with Cisco’s executives.
• Share your suggestions, questions, and greatest practices.
• Get entry to ‘insider’ content material and assets.
• Develop your skilled and private model.
• Amplify your organization’s success story with Cisco expertise.

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